3-0 Islanders, heading into the third period.  The Islanders were just 20 minutes away from earning their 11th straight victory, and about to pull off a statement win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.  That’s the complete opposite of what ended up happening.
All Islanders in the Beginning
Casey Cizikas opened up the scoring just 19 seconds in, giving the Isles an early 1-0 lead.  In the second, the Isles were showing no signs of stopping as Cal Clutterbuck netted a short handed goal and Adam Pelech ripped one home to make it 3-0.  The Penguins, however, never quit.  They were generating many chances throughout the game but couldn’t finish.
Third Period Meltdown
Here we go, the third period.  3-0 Islanders, on the verge of 11 wins in a row…NOPE!  Just over a minute into the period, Jared McCann fired one past Semyon Varlamov and from there, it was all Penguins.  Anthony Beauvillier was robbed by Matt Murray on an incredible pad save, Evgeni Malkin got the rebound and sent it over to McCann who then hit Bryan Rust with a pass that sent him to the races.  Rust snipped one over the shoulder of Varlamov to cut the Isles lead to 3-2.  That Murray save was a game changer.  Evgeni Malkin tied the game up with just over 11 minutes remaining off of a rebound.
Overtime
The game would go to overtime.  The Islanders had possession for most of the period but couldn’t generate any offense.  The one time that the puck was in the Isles’ zone, Ryan Pulock won a battle from Malkin, passed it to Brock Nelson behind the net, who then fumbles the puck and gets beast moded by Rust, and Rust wrapped it around into the net to seal the deal.
Winning Streak Snapped
If the Islanders were to have their winning streak snapped, this is not the way you’d want it to go.  Yes, they still got a point, but the fact that they gave up a 3-0 lead and lost is the most frustrating part.
What’s Next
The Islanders look to spark up another winning streak as they will take on the Florida Panthers, Saturday at 1pm, in Brooklyn.
Game Stats
Penguins 4-Islanders 3
Rust- 2 goals, McCann- 1 goal, 2 assists, Malkin- 1 goal, 1 assist  (PIT)
Cizikas- 1 goal, 1 assist, Clutterbuck- 1 goal, Pelech- 1 goal (NYI)
Varlamov- .897 sv %
Murray- .870 sv %
Game of the Month Record
0-1-1
Next Game of the Month
December 23rd, 2019
Columbus Blue Jackets vs New York Islanders